DEFINITION
Contact is light, momentary touching between cars during a tandem battle: door brushes, bumper taps, light wheel kisses. As long as it doesn't change either car's line or cause damage, modern judging treats contact as a sign of a great chase rather than a penalty.
Contact escalates to Collision the moment a car is pushed off line, slowed, or damaged. The judges' line between the two is subjective and sometimes contested.
HISTORY & ORIGIN
Old-school judging in early D1GP penalized any contact. Formula Drift introduced the rule that 'good' contact (door-to-door, no line change) is acceptable, and most international and TOSFED-style series follow the same approach.
TECHNIQUE BREAKDOWN
If you're chasing and you brush the lead car's rear quarter as you pass through a transition, hold throttle — that's good contact. If you feel the lead's rear move from your push, lift immediately to avoid escalating into a Collision.
PRO TIPS & COMMON MISTAKES
• Repaint the bumper before each event — judges visibly love a paint-marked tandem.
• Use rubber-edged door cards if your series allows; reduces sheet-metal damage from good contact.
• Tape your number plates and headlights — the cheapest items most likely to break in contact.
There was light contact through the second clip, but no line change — judges let it stand.